Books by Jason M Rampelt
Distinctions of Reason and Reasonable Distinctions is an intellectual biography of John Wallis (1... more Distinctions of Reason and Reasonable Distinctions is an intellectual biography of John Wallis (1616-1703), professor of mathematics at Oxford for over half a century. His career spans the political tumult of the English Civil Wars, the religious upheaval of the Church of England, and the fascinating developments in mathematics and natural philosophy. His ability to navigate this terrain and advance human learning in the academic world was facilitated by his use of the Jesuit Francisco Suarez’s theory of distinctions. This Roman Catholic’s philosophy in the hands of a Protestant divine fostered an instrumentalism necessary to bridge the old and new. With this tool, Wallis brought modern science into the university and helped form the Royal Society.
Papers by Jason M Rampelt
Notes and Records: the Royal Society journal of the history of science
John Wallis, a founding member of the Royal Society, theologian and churchman, participated in th... more John Wallis, a founding member of the Royal Society, theologian and churchman, participated in the leading ecclesiastical conferences in England from the beginning of the English Civil War to the Restoration. His allegiance across governments, both civil and ecclesiastical, has provoked criticism. Close investigation into his position on key church issues, however, reveals a deeper philosophical unity binding together his natural philosophy, mathematics and views on church polity and liturgy.
Notes and Records, 2018
John Wallis, a founding member of the Royal Society, theologian and churchman, participated in th... more John Wallis, a founding member of the Royal Society, theologian and churchman, participated in the leading ecclesiastical conferences in England from the beginning of the English Civil War to the Restoration. His allegiance across governments, both civil and ecclesiastical, has provoked criticism. Close investigation into his position on key church issues, however, reveals a deeper philosophical unity binding together his natural philosophy, mathematics and views on church polity and liturgy.
Antiquarianism and Science in Early Modern Urban Networks, 2014
In Feola, Vittoria. 'Antiquarianism and Science in Early Modern Urban Networks'. 'Sciences et Tec... more In Feola, Vittoria. 'Antiquarianism and Science in Early Modern Urban Networks'. 'Sciences et Techniques en Perspective'. Series II, 16:2, 2014, pp. 1-32.
This paper describes several debates involving, among others, Wallis, Fermat, Pascal, and Roberval, over several mathematical puzzles. The focus of this chapter is the central problem of sharing knowledge in the newly emerging Republic of Letters. Different conceptions of that imaginary state led to acrimonious disputes. These were early birth pangs of an emerging scientific community which has now successfully born numerous academic journals, collaborative enterprises, and open discussion, but still suffers some of the original problems which marked its earliest days.
This paper contains a transcription of a previously unpublished piece by Roberval.
Eminent Lives in Twentieth-Century Science & Religion, 2009
In Rupke, Nicolaas A., ed. 'Eminent Lives in Twentieth-Century Science & Religion'. Second Revise... more In Rupke, Nicolaas A., ed. 'Eminent Lives in Twentieth-Century Science & Religion'. Second Revised and Much Expanded Edition. Peter Lang, 2009.
The theories of special and general relativity provide the focus and impetus for the astronomical research of Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882-1944). From the earliest days of his career as an assistant at the Greenwich Observatory, to its conclusion as the head of the Cambridge Observatory, relativity was his favorite tool. The reason, however, for his love affair with the theory is not first a result of its profundity and applicability to astronomical questions, but of how the theory showed that science does not rest on an immovable foundation outside human experience. As a Christian, Eddington was interested in countering a rising anti-religious rhetoric in Britain. As a Quaker he opposed creedal dogmas--scientific as well as religious. Relativity helped reinforce his point that science had not basis for a dogmatism that rejected everything incomprehensible by its frame of reference.
Reviews by Jason M Rampelt
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 2008
Books in progress by Jason M Rampelt
Book in progress:
Using a biographical approach, this book considers the careers of ten semi... more Book in progress:
Using a biographical approach, this book considers the careers of ten seminal contributors from the natural sciences from the 17th to 20th centuries. Each chapter focuses primarily on one individual, showing how their theology played a central role in the genesis of their novel insights into nature. The method of this book is outlined in my essay review, "Religion as a Cause in Scientific Research". The scientists / natural philosophers covered in the book are John Ray, Wilhelm Gottfried Leibniz, Albrecht von Haller, Augustin-Louis Cauchy, James Clerk Maxwell, Edward Williams Morely, Sir Arthur Eddington, John Eccles, Janos Szentagothai, and Donald M. MacKay.
I am currently seeking a publisher.
Research for this book was made possible by generous support from the John Templeton Foundation and the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge.
Theses by Jason M Rampelt
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Books by Jason M Rampelt
Papers by Jason M Rampelt
This paper describes several debates involving, among others, Wallis, Fermat, Pascal, and Roberval, over several mathematical puzzles. The focus of this chapter is the central problem of sharing knowledge in the newly emerging Republic of Letters. Different conceptions of that imaginary state led to acrimonious disputes. These were early birth pangs of an emerging scientific community which has now successfully born numerous academic journals, collaborative enterprises, and open discussion, but still suffers some of the original problems which marked its earliest days.
This paper contains a transcription of a previously unpublished piece by Roberval.
The theories of special and general relativity provide the focus and impetus for the astronomical research of Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882-1944). From the earliest days of his career as an assistant at the Greenwich Observatory, to its conclusion as the head of the Cambridge Observatory, relativity was his favorite tool. The reason, however, for his love affair with the theory is not first a result of its profundity and applicability to astronomical questions, but of how the theory showed that science does not rest on an immovable foundation outside human experience. As a Christian, Eddington was interested in countering a rising anti-religious rhetoric in Britain. As a Quaker he opposed creedal dogmas--scientific as well as religious. Relativity helped reinforce his point that science had not basis for a dogmatism that rejected everything incomprehensible by its frame of reference.
Reviews by Jason M Rampelt
Books in progress by Jason M Rampelt
Using a biographical approach, this book considers the careers of ten seminal contributors from the natural sciences from the 17th to 20th centuries. Each chapter focuses primarily on one individual, showing how their theology played a central role in the genesis of their novel insights into nature. The method of this book is outlined in my essay review, "Religion as a Cause in Scientific Research". The scientists / natural philosophers covered in the book are John Ray, Wilhelm Gottfried Leibniz, Albrecht von Haller, Augustin-Louis Cauchy, James Clerk Maxwell, Edward Williams Morely, Sir Arthur Eddington, John Eccles, Janos Szentagothai, and Donald M. MacKay.
I am currently seeking a publisher.
Research for this book was made possible by generous support from the John Templeton Foundation and the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge.
Theses by Jason M Rampelt
This paper describes several debates involving, among others, Wallis, Fermat, Pascal, and Roberval, over several mathematical puzzles. The focus of this chapter is the central problem of sharing knowledge in the newly emerging Republic of Letters. Different conceptions of that imaginary state led to acrimonious disputes. These were early birth pangs of an emerging scientific community which has now successfully born numerous academic journals, collaborative enterprises, and open discussion, but still suffers some of the original problems which marked its earliest days.
This paper contains a transcription of a previously unpublished piece by Roberval.
The theories of special and general relativity provide the focus and impetus for the astronomical research of Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882-1944). From the earliest days of his career as an assistant at the Greenwich Observatory, to its conclusion as the head of the Cambridge Observatory, relativity was his favorite tool. The reason, however, for his love affair with the theory is not first a result of its profundity and applicability to astronomical questions, but of how the theory showed that science does not rest on an immovable foundation outside human experience. As a Christian, Eddington was interested in countering a rising anti-religious rhetoric in Britain. As a Quaker he opposed creedal dogmas--scientific as well as religious. Relativity helped reinforce his point that science had not basis for a dogmatism that rejected everything incomprehensible by its frame of reference.
Using a biographical approach, this book considers the careers of ten seminal contributors from the natural sciences from the 17th to 20th centuries. Each chapter focuses primarily on one individual, showing how their theology played a central role in the genesis of their novel insights into nature. The method of this book is outlined in my essay review, "Religion as a Cause in Scientific Research". The scientists / natural philosophers covered in the book are John Ray, Wilhelm Gottfried Leibniz, Albrecht von Haller, Augustin-Louis Cauchy, James Clerk Maxwell, Edward Williams Morely, Sir Arthur Eddington, John Eccles, Janos Szentagothai, and Donald M. MacKay.
I am currently seeking a publisher.
Research for this book was made possible by generous support from the John Templeton Foundation and the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge.